Take What You Can Carry
by straighttoneverland
Summary: A group of human fugitives live in the wild of Washington state, far from any sort of civilization. They thrive off of everything the nature has to offer to them, barely surviving. But, when a human host shows up and swears to be cured, it leaves the group doubtful and wary of the newcomer. Lucia finds herself oddly interested in the boy, curious as to who he really is. All O.C.
1. Chapter 1

"Lucia. Go!" A shout from behind the girl sounded, startling her and causing her heart to jump in her throat. Her lungs were aching as she fought to breathe in the stale night air, terror shooting throughout her veins. Everything was going downhill, the whole plan had failed. They were going to be found out.

Large hands pushed her forward and she was suddenly in motion again, unfreezing from her moment of fear. "Lucia, are you fucking deaf? I said 'go'." A harsh voice growled in annoyance. It was Jackson. His dark hair was ruffled with the night wind and stubble lined his prominent jaw as it was set in a stubborn and annoyed expression. His dark eyes were worried, though, as he gave the small girl another push. "C'mon," He urged and began practically dragging her.

Lucia's feet stumbled along the uneven forest ground, hand tightening around Jackson's. "But, what about the others?" She argued, trying to keep up with his long strides compared to her shorter ones.

The older boy seemed about to hesitate, brown eyes troubled. But, it didn't take him long to shake his head. "They've survived this long, they know what to do." And continued to tug further, avoiding the closely knitted trees. Lucia continued to get scratches and cuts along her face and legs, longer branches and overgrown brush cutting into her pale skin.

Her lungs felt like they were going to burst, but she couldn't slow down with Jackson's hand wrapped around hers in a death grip. Everything was flying past in a blur and her vision was narrowing down to a tunnel, warning her that she was close to unconsciousness. Lucia tried to gasp out his name, tried to warn him of her weak state.

But, she couldn't.

Instead, she fell. Bony knees hit the pine-needle covered ground, scraping in the dirt. Everything felt heavy, her head, her shoulders, everything. Lucia could hear Jackson's footsteps, rushing to her side, his voice sounded a million miles away, but she could tell he was shouting her name, screaming in horror. But, she was too busy with the pain in the back of her mind. It felt like something was trying to crawl inside, steal everything away.

Everything calmed to a point within seconds, narrowing the pain and blackness to a small center. And everything she had once known was gone. When the girl re-opened her eyes the inside rim of gold had been taken and in its place was a ring of reflective blue. She was gone.

The girl awoke with a loud gasp, eyes flying open and arms reaching out in a defensive way. Everything was black and she started to panic, heart beating wildly fast and painfully slamming against her rib cage. Lucia wanted to scream, shout for help, but just as she sucked in a huge breath, two hands reached out from the darkness and took ahold of her shoulders.

She would have screamed or yelled, if it hadn't been for the soothing voice that followed. "Lucia, sweetheart, are you okay?" She would have recognized that voice anywhere.

"Jackson," She breathed in, heart race finally slowing down as she reached forward, thin arms wrapping around the boy's neck, tugging him in tightly. He accepted the gesture, pulling her forward so that her legs wrapped around his torso as he sat up against the wall.

"Another nightmare?" He asked in a soft murmur, free hand running through her bed-ridden hair.

Lucia sighed deeply into his neck, her warm breath tickling back to her face; she nodded slightly, a frown forming. "Same thing?" Jackson asked, pushing the subject further.

Again she nodded, remembering when she had first told Jackson of these nightmares and the way he had nodded in an understanding way. She wasn't the only one afraid and in fear of the alien invasion that had taken ahold of earth years ago. But, it affected Lucia in the form of dreams, well, rather nightmares. Ever since the damned beings that had invaded their planet took every single member of her family had Lucia began having these bizarre dreams of being possessed in the way that the alien parasites took over other human bodies.

"You're going to be alright, I would never let anything touch you." He promised, moving back slightly to peck her forehead. This gesture sent a certain calmness throughout her body, untensing her shoulders and back and melting into the older boy's embrace, feeling the slight curve to his stomach and sharpness of his collarbone.

"I love you, Jackson." She murmured into his neck.

He gently ran his free hand under her chin and tilted Lucia's head to face his. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dark space, recognizing the damp walls of their forest sanctuary, their small room one of many. She could make out Jackson's graceful facial structure and dark eyes intently staring back into hers.

She didn't hesitate to lean forward and kiss the boy, mouths curving against each other's. She busied herself with the way his tousled hair wound perfectly around her fingertips and the way he seemed to pull her closer by the small of her back, never seeming to want to let go.

Jackson gently nibbled on her bottom lip before moving with quick and fluid movements, changing their position from sitting to him hovering over her, his tall and hard body practically covering hers.

"Are you still scared?" He murmured the question, warm mouth playfully and teasingly running across Lucia's collar bones, stopping for a second to gently peck the hollowed space near her neck and continuing onwards to the other side.

Her breath was caught in her throat as he did this, distracting her from the terrifying thoughts that invaded her mind. She pictured the Seekers finding their hiding spot and making hosts out of all of them, tearing away any sense of freedom or independence. Killing them. Plain murder.

Being reminded of the nightmare, she could only nod, not trusting her voice with the way he kept busily moving his lips upwards towards her neck, sucking gently on the vulnerable skin and how his free hand, that wasn't supporting his weight, kept running soothingly up and down her side.

Lucia could feel his smile against her skin and he slyly crept his mouth more upwards, tracing her curved jaw with his lower lip, occasionally pausing to kiss the sharper parts where the bone jutted a bit more. He seemed determined to play this out as long as possible, ever so slowly making his way up to her lips and then pausing, seeming to wait for her to break in impatience.

Which is exactly what happened.

With a slight feeling of annoyance, she unfroze her body and took control, slim hands finding their way to the back of his neck and pulling his face down to meet hers. She bit his lower lip somewhat roughly, tugging on the delicate skin.

But, all Jackson did was smirk. "Feeling a bit anxious, hmm?" And she quickly quieted him with her mouth, enjoying the taste of him and feeling content.

Breaking apart, he was still smiling, straight teeth showing. "Now are you still scared?" He asked quietly, running his thumb across her swollen lower lip.

She couldn't say she was still frightened now. In this moment, there was nothing to be feared. She was safe with Jackson, hidden away far from any parasite or alien, and that was all that mattered.

Smirking slightly, she replied. "You do seem to have a knack at being distracting." It was meant to be a compliment, and he definitely took it as one.

"We still have a few hours till sunlight, still tired or?" He continued, glancing towards their makeshift door made out of an old sample of plywood, it was close against the grimy wall, muffling most of their noises.

Lucia had to admit, despite Jackson being teasing and getting her heart rate up, she was still exhausted from yesterday's raiding for food. Her hands were still sore and bruised from all the bow shooting she had endured, their group taking full advantage of her skilled hands.

Even with her lack of response the boy could tell she was ready to return to sleep and made the final decision for her, carefully moving off of her and laying down beside her instead. Without hesitating, Lucia turned to her side, placing her head against Jackson's chest and listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

"You'll be alright, I'm right here." Jackson reminded her in a sincere and calm tone, tightening his grip around her and leaving his hand to rest on her waist.

"I know," She murmured, tilting her head up to kiss his jaw before settling back into place and falling into a calm slumber.

The next time Lucia woke up it was to a slight shaking of her shoulder, warm hands grasping at the light skin. "Babe, time to go." Jackson's voice reminded her and she groaned slightly before opening her eyes.

The light from their small and slanted window came in and burned her eyes viciously, causing Lucia to bring a hand up to shield them from the brightness. She was surprised, though, to find herself well rested, the only pain coming from her worn down hands and blistered feet. Despite those few things, everything was fine.

Jackson was busily preparing their packs, putting in bottles of water and a few food items. Lucia's bow and arrows were leaned against the wall, prepared for their day of scavenging and hunting.

Now in the light she could see her companion in full view and she watched for a moment as he worked. She scanned over the way he would furrow his eyebrows in complete concentration and how his hands couldn't keep still, they were constantly moving to accomplish the little details and small adjustments. She admired the way his full mouth was pursed as he concentrated and the stubble lined his jaw and sharp cheekbones.

Jackson looked up, brown eyes meeting her golden ones. "Might want to take a picture, it'll last longer." He joked, smiling cockily at her.

She playfully rolled her eyes at him. "Someone's quite confident in themselves." Her comment only received a wink as he went back to finishing the packing for their trip.

Lucia eventually got up, stretching her arms above her head and listening to the satisfying cracks her joints and bones made. She shivered slightly in her long t-shirt that hit mid-thigh, missing the warmth of Jackson.

She got up anyways, despite the chill of the spring morning, and crossed the room to him. He looked up from his work and smiled before she wrapped her arms around his torso, enjoying the heat that seemed to constantly envelope him.

"Sweetheart, we really have to get going, they need their best hunter going." Jackson reminded her, but he sounded almost hesitant, as if he'd much rather curl back up on the bed, their bodies pressed against one another without a worry in the world.

Lucia sighed deeply, "I know, it's just-" She cut herself off; knowing whatever she wanted to say was useless. Their planet was invaded and they were all wanted fugitives, nothing could go back to normal, peaceful ignorance. There was work to be done.

She shook her head, "No, you're right." And with a quick peck on his soft lips, retreated to go get dressed.

The couple left their room within ten minutes, Lucia dressed in her gear that consisted of jeans, a black shirt, and a sweater to go over it. Despite it being spring, the state of Washington was still chilly in the mornings.

A bracer made of leather was strapped tightly to her left forearm and she was busily checking to see if her finger tab and thumb ring were correctly attached as they walked down the narrow hallway to their slightly underground forest bunker.

The walls were half brick, half dirt and she was constantly watching the ground so she wouldn't trip over a root. Their whole group had had to build the bunker from scratch, they were fortunate enough to have an engineer on the team. Without Kevin, their engineer, they probably would have been found or living in the rough terrain.

"Who's all in the hunting party?" She absently asked Jackson, taking a moment to latch the nitch on her quiver and make sure all her arrows were correctly placed and intact.

The tall boy was busy with his own preparations as they walked together, tightening a side sheath that held two knives along his waist. "You, I, Clyde, and Jasey." He spoke in a rougher voice now, a voice Lucia referred to as his 'survival' voice. Whenever the two weren't just alone together Jackson's voice seemed to become deeper and much more menacing.

Lucia nodded and turned sharply towards the stairs that would lead to above ground. Their bunker was much more a cellar than anything, cleverly disguised by tree roots, leaves, and other forest debris. No one would ever suspect anything unnatural.

Lucia's boots clanged against the metal stairs as she reached the top, taking a deep breath and warily moving her hand towards the latch that would release the flat door to the outside world. She didn't know what it was about opening this door and releasing herself to the outside world, maybe it was the fact that it made her feel vulnerable, or possibly the way she felt so exposed to anything and everything.

Thinking about it made her feel an intense hate and anger. She shouldn't have to feel so fearful of simply being outside in a planet that she belongs to humans. She shouldn't have to be hiding in a musty hole in the ground or have to hunt with a bow and arrow to survive. Waves of disgust rolled in the pit of her stomach and with no hesitation she moved quick fingers over the locks and popped open the wooden shaft.

The outside air was damp and full of moisture, though she had expected this. Washington was always wet.

It took a moment for Lucia's eyes to adjust and when they did she saw how the morning sun was trying its hardest to peak through the constant covering of clouds, but to no avail did it succeed in its poor attempts, only letting a poor inkling of light shine through.

Jackson stepped out right after her, protectively giving the grounds a once over, eyes scanning the crowds of trees that had moss growing up to its branches and the dirt covered floor, making sure no other being was around.

Though, of course, there were two other people already waiting for them, although they recognized the pair right away. It was Clyde and Jasey, their other two companions.

Clyde was a tall boy in his late twenties, his slicked back black hair didn't stand out much in the dull foresty area, but it did make the green in his eyes pop when he turned a stare at you. Lucia had always felt uneasy around him, as if he was slightly crazy, as if something was missing.

Jasey, on the other hand, was as friendly as anyone could get. The younger girl just had a certain charm about her that made it impossible to dislike her. She was always offering to help or lend a hand, hence why she was on this dangerous hunting trip. Although, she wasn't much a hunter, she was probably the only other volunteer.

"Finally," Clyde spoke, standing up straight from his earlier position slouched up against the tree. His hunting weapon of choice was a crossbow that hung limply in his hands.

"Where are we taking? The north west border?" Jasey asked with enthusiasm, binoculars strapped across her neck as she smiled at Lucia and Jackson.

Lucia was the one to answer, clipping her bow onto the clasp on her quiver. "No, we're going to tackle the south side. The herd of deer was moving that way last time we checked the markers." Jasey seemed fine with this statement, obviously up for anything. But, Clyde glared slightly at the short girl, eyes narrowing.

"Who made you leader?" He sneered, more than obviously in one of his moods.

Jackson was about to step in, jaw set tightly. But, Lucia held up a patient hand, quieting him before he could even begin. "No one has appointed me as 'leader', Clyde. I was simply going with the logic of following the herd." Her argument was valid and non-arguable, mostly because if they wanted to catch something, they'd have to track it first.

Though he was plainly unhappy with it, Clyde grumpily followed the other three as they started their trek through the thick forest.

It was a peaceful walk, no disturbances from vehicles in the sky overheard and no sudden movements in the forest. It was just the four of them, Jasey constantly sticking close to Lucia's side, Clyde grimacing and grumbling in the middle, and Jackson taking up the rear, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Lucia was the main hunter of the group, having a keen eye and a good sense of when and where to shoot. It wasn't that she enjoyed the activity; she sort of hated seeing the look of desperation some of the animals would give as they took their last dying breath. It reminded her that even though she saw the aliens as monsters, she was no better herself.

They followed the deer tracks for a few miles, occasionally stopping to check their placing and direction, Clyde did most of that work though, he always a knack with maps and compasses.

After the third mile it didn't take them long to find the herd of deer. Jasey was the first to notice the grouping standing in a clear off field of white flowers and tall green grass.

"Look," She has whispered in excitement, pointing towards the herd of two males and four does, all grazing contently, unaware of the harm that hung over them like a storm cloud.

Lucia did watch with interest, her eyes scanning the animals.

All of them were fattened up from the generous spring growth, lean muscle obvious against the bones. They all looked so peaceful and harmless that Lucia had no want to pull her bow and arrow from the quiver.

But, she had to.

If they didn't bring home something the younger ones would end up starving. The whole group was low on everything lately. They were all lucky that the harsh winter was over and the good weather was well on its way.

Feeling reluctant, Lucia pulled her bow from the quiver along with an arrow. She felt the familiar weight of each the tools before organizing them in her hands, pushing the end of the arrow against the string of the wooden bow. She could feel the tenseness of it in her arms as she pulled back more.

Lucia was aiming for the bigger buck, the biggest one of them all. It was unaware of the four humans hiding in the bushes, waiting for the exact moment to shoot.

Clyde dared to speak, his breath hitting Lucia's next because of how close he was. "Shouldn't we try the crossbow, it's much more accurate." She could hear the snide in his tone and immediately knew he just wanted to annoy her.

But, she shook her head in a way full of authority. "No, I'm more accurate than your little contraption any day." She heard Jackson snicker at her comment from a few feet behind.

Clyde backed off, obviously disappointed that he hadn't gotten more of a reaction out of her.

With renewed concentration, she re-aimed the arrow at the buck, her nimble fingers pulling back at the tight drawstring.

The rest of the group was dead quiet, patiently waiting for her arrow to make its mark.

And just as she was about to let go and let the arrow sail to its mark, an odd noise stopped her.

It was a deep rustling of leaves and grass, somewhere not far off and to Lucia's right. Her head snapped in curiosity, green eyes widening in surprise and fear.

She wasn't the only one to hear the strange movement. The deer, whom had been oblivious before, were now all sticking their heads up and before anyone knew what was going on, the herd was on the run again.

The hunting group were all too tense and in fear to do or say anything about the meal vanishing. All of their eyes were targeted on the one area the noise was coming from. Even Jasey, who's usually good in these types of situations, was locked in fear.

Lucia re-directed her arrow to face the movement of leaves, ready to let it fly if it was a Seeker.

But, what came out of forest brush surprised even her.

It was a boy, no older than nineteen, with a disarray of black hair that was tangled with leaves and twigs. His clothes were ripped and dirt stained. Bruises were lined under his eyes as if he had suffered many sleepless nights.

But, the thing that really held Lucia back was his eyes.

They were a blazing blue, almost translucent like a crystal; they stood out scarily in comparison to such dark hair and light skin. But, in the center of his iris, lining the black of his pupil was a silver lining of light.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucia's grip on her arrow tightened as she aimed directly for the boy's chest, straight to the heart. Her eyes narrowed as she stared down the host body, prepared to kill the parasite any second. But, she couldn't help but wait till someone told her to shoot. She felt restricted and somewhat guilty.

It could be the way the man was looking at the group with such wild fear and...it seemed _relief. _Though, there was no way he could be relieved at seeing a group of human fugitives with weapons. Any of those parasites would be scared out of their wits and cringing by now.

But, he just stood there, stone still and looking like a deer in headlights. Lucia could hardly move herself, she was trying her best not to start shaking in shock and anger, mostly at having let that buck get away while she had a perfect shot, meaning another hunting trip and another hungry day.

"What are you waiting for?" Clyde practically screamed from behind her, annoyance clear in his tone. "It's a parasite, go on and _shoot." _He was insistent and impatient as Lucia considered this for a moment, knowing she should have let the arrow fly moments ago.

But, that same weird resistance held her back and strengthened as the boy turned his strong and intelligent gaze to hers, brilliant blue meeting emerald green. He looked scared and apprehensive, but definitely smart and knowing, a dangerous combination. But, there was just something _so human _about his gaze that continued to leave her fingers tight around the end of the arrow.

"Move," A deep and angry voice sounded and suddenly she was being nudged roughly out of the way, hardly having the time to righten herself against a tree and narrowly avoiding having the head of the arrow slash her leg open.

Despite Lucia's obvious knowings of how dangerous this man was, she felt protective and wanted to hear him speak before considering killing him. Though, she knew if she were to voice those thoughts the whole group would turn to her like she was some sort of crazed traitor.

Luckily, she didn't have to do anything.

Jasey jumped in front of Clyde who was seconds away from shooting his crossbow straight at the man who looked like he wanted to back away and run, but knew he wouldn't get very far.

"Wait," She cried, hands defensively pushed out in front of her body, protecting herself from the arrow that was now aimed at her.

Clyde rolled his eyes in exasperation, "It's not a human, Jasey, now move." He tried nudging the girl with the bow, but she pushed back hard, her dark eyes blazing in defiance.

"Don't be so quick to jump the gun, Clyde." She started, hands on her hips. Despite the fact that she was much smaller and less intimidating than Clyde, the girl could definitely put on a fierce front when she wanted to, even Lucia was quite surprised to see her act in such a manner.

Jackson had slowly made his way to Lucia's side, placing a warm hand on her upper arm. "Are you alright?" He seemed more confused than concerned, his troubled brown gaze dodging to look at their find who was still glancing back and forth from all four of them.

"Yes, I'm fine." She whispered back, the lie coming very naturally.

Jasey and Clyde were still arguing, Clyde now pointing the bow towards the ground as he swung his free arm up in exasperation. "Like it would give us any sort of information, you've completely lost it." He hissed at Jasey, teeth slightly bared.

"Maybe we should ask him instead of standing here debating like imbeciles." Lucia finally suggested, angry and annoyed from the failed trip and the trouble they now faced if they decided to keep the boy alive.

Everyone of them turned to face him, eyes expectant. He seemed to lay his eyes over all of them, before deciding to speak directly to Lucia, never breaking eye contact. "I'd prefer if you didn't kill me." His voice and tone surprised Lucia, it was deeper than she thought and very calm and even.

Clyde snorted, "Well, obviously, you dumb parasite, but unfortunately for you, this is our planet and not your body, therefore, we don't really have much of a choice." He was already starting to re-aim the crossbow.

"Wait," Jackson hissed at the older man, eyes holding a threat as they glared each other down.

Once Clyde had finally put the bow back down with an annoyed sigh, Lucia looked back to the other boy, curious and confused. "What are you, a Seeker?" She questioned, unable to keep the venom out of her tone as she thought of those horrible Seekers that had stolen her entire family away from her, creating monsters out of them.

He immediately started to shake his head, "No, it's a long story." He seemed to be getting desperate now. "But, if you'd all just take a second and try to believe me." And Lucia could see why he was starting to become this way, he knew that whatever story he was planning to tell they would just analysis it to an extent where it would be almost impossible to believe anything to be truth.

"It's going to sound completely and utterly crazy, but please trust me." He was now looking towards everyone, but his eyes turned especially pleading with Lucia and she realized he was relying on her to really see this whole 'story' out.

"Go on then," Jackson encouraged with a wave of his hand.

The boy sighed before beginning, pulling himself up tall and straight. "My name is Darko, and despite the obvious ring around my eyes, I'm as human as anyone of you. That," He paused, and Lucia quickly realized he was trying to sustain his anger. "That _parasite _that was in me has died. I don't know how and I don't know why, but I am human."


	3. Chapter 3

The silence could have last hours or merely seconds, Lucia wasn't aware of the time passing as she gazed hard at the boy who claimed to be named Darko. She didn't know how to react or think of the whole situation. Was it even possible for the parasites to die? She didn't think so, considering how long they seemed to live. But, on the other hand, maybe it was? Being hidden and practically erased from the world didn't leave them with much information or resources.

A loud scoffed snorting noise of disbelief interrupted the silence in a cutting way. Clyde was laughing loudly from behind Lucia, face hysterical as he snickered at the boy.

Darko looked disappointed and visibly deflated at being laughed at, he had obviously been hoping his story would be seen through.

"Did you really think we'd believe that pathetic story?" Clyde harshly snapped at him, eyes dark and black hair falling in his face as he glowered at Darko.

The blue eyed boy just stood there, the ends of his mouth turned down in a frown as he thought. Lucia couldn't help, but feel bad for him. If she were stuck in that position, well, she wouldn't even know where to begin or what to do. She'd be so frightened to face these hard humans who live out of the wild, armed with bows and arrows.

"Shoot it down," Clyde commanded as he switched his eyes to Lucia, knowing if he tried the group would start complaining again, but whereas with Lucia they trusted her judgement.

She could feel all four of their stares on her as glanced down to her bow and arrow, almost afraid of it's lethalness and the power of life or death on her shoulders. She may have been a hunter, but a human life was different, especially if they didn't know if this human was a host or not. It made her fingers itch and brain feel heavy in her head.

"Lucia," A soft voice sounded in her ear and she knew it to be Jackson"His rough voice had changed back to that calming tone he only used with her. "Don't do anything you don't believe is right." And then he stepped back to his original position, leaving her to make her own decision.

The thing was, she didn't feel this as right, it felt wrong, very wrong, to just shoot the man down without further investigation and questioning. She couldn't even bear to think of living with the guilt of killing an innocent human.

But, then on the other hand, what if he turned out to be a Seeker and ratted them all out? Lucia also cringed at the thought of putting everyone's lives in danger.

As she thought more about the possible outcomes of each decision. She knew if she kept him alive that they would not only be putting themselves in danger, but be risking making their whole group nomads if the others turned them away.

Lucia glanced up at Darko again, scared to meet his fearful gaze. But, his eyes weren't full of fear, instead, they were full of...trust, or what seemed to that. He was willingly putting his life in her hands, trusting her to make the right decision.

She found herself looking him over, checking for signs that lead to a comfortable life of the hosts. His limbs were long and lean, scratches lining up his bare arms. She noticed the scars that were littered across his neck and collar, becoming invisible when it met the collar of the dirty blue shirt he wore. The scars almost looked like burns, or possibly created by sharp snaps of a stick or whip.

Trying to ignore them, but keeping a mental note to ask about them if he lived, traveled up to his jaw where stubble lined it lightly, shadowing under his prominent cheekbones. Avoiding his gaze, she moved to untidy hair, noticing the slight waves to it.

He had definitely not been living in the comfort of a town or city, but rather surviving on his own. That realization tipped her judgement, making his story seem more believable.

With a deep sigh, she completely let her bow down, putting the loose arrow back into the quiver. She was afraid to see the faces of her group, but knew they wouldn't question her decision, even if they disagreed with it.

"Jackson, Clyde, tag him, Jasey take the back." She ordered, slinging the bow across her back. "If you see any game, shoot it down. We're going to have a hard enough time as it is." And with that, she turned her back on all of them, not sure whether or not to feel regretful of this decision. But, one thing was for sure, they were in for a different kind of hell when they'd return.

**(A/N : Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't have much time to write, but wanted to post at least something. I also really wanted to say thank you to RainbowTeeth8. I really, really appreciated the time you took to review and how you gave me great feedback, thank you so much. And to anyone else reading this story, I really hope you enjoy reading it.)**


	4. Chapter 4

Tense, uncomfortable, and fearful were all fantastic synonyms for the hike back to camp.

Lucia was on constant edge from not only constantly keeping an eye out for any game, even the smallest of animals would be acceptable at this point. They needed to come back with something other than a possible human host.

Taking her to the next point : Darko.

He walked calmly and collected, not in the fearful way he should be, especially with Jackson and Clyde so near and ready to kill him if necessary. But, the dark-haired boy just kept his head held high with blank eyes staring forward.

His gaze still unnerved her, just the way that ring of light shined and reflected with the mid-afternoon sun blasting through the covering of trees. It wasn't only the unnatural look of it against the black of his pupil, but the memories it brought back to her.

:::

"_Lucia, down now!" A voice whispered urgently and harshly. She could feel her heart beating wildly in her throat and panic twisted her stomach in knots as rough hands brought her down to a kneeling position. Glancing downward, she saw that her hands were absolutely trembling in complete and utter fear._

"_Jackson," She cried pitifully, "I can't do it, I can't fucking do it." Her voice broke and she tried her best to keep her sobs to a minimum._

_The older boy grabbed her by the shoulders, "Listen to me," He wouldn't allow her to break eye contact. "Those humans you see, those ones," He pointed out to the crack in the shed door. She risked glancing away from him to see the four people, feeling like she was suffocating when she saw her father and sister standing awkwardly, as if they didn't fit quite right in their skin. "They are not who you think they are anymore. They're not alive, those disgusting, filthy parasites have killed them." Lucia could clearly see the regret in his eyes when he realized how much that statement had hurt her, but he continued to push. "If you want to live, you have to listen to me and do exactly as I say. Promise?"_

_She didn't know what she could promise anymore. Despite knowing that her families bodies were no longer their own, they still _looked _like their own. The way her sister's dyed blonde hair glimmered in the sunlight, twisting and twirling and how her dad's face looked so concentrated..._

_That was right._

_He was concentrating on finding _them.

_And for the reason?_

_To _capture _and _murder _them._

_Her back stiffened as she glanced back at Jackson, basically a stranger to her back then. His eyes were trusting and full of a certain softness, but also determination. Determination to get them out of here alive and free._

"_We're going to get out of here alive, I promise, but you _have _to do as I say or we're going to end up just like them." Again he gestured to her family, and when she glanced to look at them again, she could see the difference the parasites had made on them._

_Her father's eyes had never looked so harsh and cruel, not to mention his posture was never so straight. Her sister, Claire, didn't have that constant smile that used to shine across her face, nor was her skin tanned to a perfect golden brown, it looked washed out and pale._

_Lucia turned back to Jackson, now nodding. "What do I have to do?" Her voice sounded pained even to her._

"_This," And he handed her the bow and arrow they had recently stolen from an old, abandoned shop._

_Lucia looked down to it, hands and eyes memorizing every single bit of the wooden object. She had been shooting since she was a child, memories of her dad taking her out to the shooting range made her eyes sting with tears as she realized what she had to do._

"_I'll be right there," He promised, pointedly looking at the ancient crossbow they had also confiscated and Lucia felt her face pull into a critical look, Jackson had never had the best aim with it as far as she knew. He was much more of a forward fist-fight kind of person._

_She looked back to his face and saw he was trying to give her his most reassuring smile. "Lucia, we're going to get out of this alive and free, and when we do, I _promise _to take you somewhere you'll be safe and happy." This promise brought a flutter in her stomach despite the tense situation._

_But, she knew happiness would be hard to find after this._

_She nodded anyways, "Let's just get this over with."And he nodded back, glancing to crack in the shed door. The two Seekers looked to be almost annoyed with her sister and father as they started to ask questions, no doubt, about her._

"_Are you sure you're ready?" He asked quietly, dark eyes concerned. _

_She knew there was no other choice, "Yes." _

_And with that they readied their arrows and Jackson took hold of the handle, counting to three._

"_One,"_

_Her heart raced and she felt the unfairness and hatred weighing down on her shoulders._

"_Two,"_

_She kept her tight grip on the arrow, ready to shoot._

"_Three,"_

_He bust the door open and summer light flooded towards them. All four of them turned in complete surprise, eyes widening and mouths open in shock. Jackson didn't hesitate to take down the first Seeker, a white male in his early thirties, the arrow hitting its target : right above the rib-cage._

_He went down without a word, the light fading from his eyes._

_Lucia took down the next Seeker, not having much sympathy or regret as the arrow met its target and she also fell to the ground, blood streaming from the wound._

_Then she froze._

_The faces were too similar and innocent looking. She knew them all too well, they were her families' bodies after all._

_Jackson must have noticed her horrified pause because he had his crossbow reloaded in seconds and without a moment of hesitation, shot down her father._

_She didn't scream or cry out like she thought she would have. Maybe it was because seconds ago the man had been glaring hard at her with no recognition, his once perfectly green eyes ruined by that cold circle lining his pupil._

_The only one left alive was her younger sister and Lucia could have screamed from how much pain the fear in her Claire's eyes brought her. She was horrified and scared._

_But, it wasn't really her sister's fear that was creating the motion on the bodies face._

_It was the parasite._

_With achingly slow actions, she re-loaded her bow, aiming it directly at the smaller girl's heart. She could see from her distance that she was shaking, her honey brown eyes that she had inherited from their mother were wide. _

_But the eye was also ruined. That unnerving circle of light sent shivers down her spine and a feeling a rough hatred._

"_I'm sorry," She hardly whispered and then let the arrow go._

:::

"Lucia,"

"Lucia!" A voice broke through her memory, leading her back into the current time.

It was Jasey, having come up from the rear. The younger girl was smiling and radiant, completely confusing Lucia. How could she possibly be happy when they were in so much danger?

"What is it?" Her voice was harsher than intended, but she didn't apologize, she was under enough pressure and stress as it was.

A bit taken aback, Jasey responded, "I just wanted to thank you." She talked quieter now. "You know, for not killing him. I think he was telling the truth."

Lucia could have been imagining it, but she could have sworn she saw some sort of admiration in Jasey's eyes as she talked about Darko. If that was the case, well, they in for a bit more trouble than she thought.

"Don't bother," Lucia talked back, now not feeling sorry for being so harsh, Jasey needed to know this was not alright. "He's not out of danger quite yet." That statement seemed to stab some reality into Jasey's mind and the girl slowly fell back into line, leaving Lucia back with her own thoughts again.

She was still upset and fragile after recalling that dreadful memory. All she wanted right now was to be alone and not have to deal with all these issues, the group had enough problems without having to put up with this situation.

But, she still couldn't pull herself to regret that decision she made back there. Deep down, she knew it was the right thing to do.

They were arriving at camp at a much faster pace than what Lucia would have preferred. But, they couldn't put this off for even the slightest bit. A few hundred feet away from the opening of their burrow, she paused, patiently waiting for the rest of them to catch up.

Clyde was still looking murderous, mouth set in a hard line and Jasey was obviously still upset with Lucia's earlier comments.

"What's the plan?" Jackson asked, leaving the decisions to Lucia still and she was surprised at how much gratitude she felt at having his complete and utter trust.

"I'm going to get Kevin and Tom, you all wait here." She couldn't risk Darko seeing their camp site incase things did go wrong. "You four, wait here." But, before turning around she shared a quick glance with Jackson, needing the reassurance of his confident gaze.

He smiled back and nodded encouragingly, filling her with the hope she needed to convince their two 'leaders' about Darko and to at least hear him out.

But, before she turned around, she caught Darko's eyes and was surprised to see a spark of something, she couldn't quite place the emotion though and wasn't sure if she wanted to decipher it.

Without hesitating anymore, she hurried to the door.

**(A/N : Okay, this chapter is a bit longer than the last, and I hope you all enjoy it. I'll hopefully have another up by tomorrow or Friday, I'm trying really hard to find more time for writing, especially because it's summer.**

**This is directly to RainbowTeeth8 - Thank you so much for the shout out, if you ever need help or ideas or anything, just let me know!)**


	5. Chapter 5

"You did what?!"

Lucia crossed her arms, stubbornly staring the old man down.

After pacing the hallway in the burrow for a good five minutes, she had finally come up with a proper way to tell their leaders, for lack of a better word, about the boy they had found on the hunting trip.

Needless to say, Kevin was absolutely livid. His usually pale face now matched the craze of ginger hair that sat upon his head, looking ready to steam from the ears any second.

Tom was a whole different story.

He was younger, in his late thirties, and sat across from Lucia patiently. His face didn't give anything away as he thought the situation over, hand absently tapping against his thigh.

"I didn't have much of a choice. What if he's telling the truth? I couldn't shoot down an innocent human, that'd make me just as bad as them." She was getting fairly worked up, always self-conscious of what others thought of her judgment.

"It was irresponsible and ruthless; do you ever think before you act?" Kevin growled, rotten teeth showing as he glowered at her. Lucia felt slightly ashamed at not having thought of the whole thing more carefully, but what else could she have possibly done?

As if on cue, Tom finally looked up, gray eyes patient. "No, you're wrong Kevin." The ginger-haired man turned on Tom quickly, eyes surprised. But, the younger one just simply put up a hand, an innocent gesture. "You're right about being irresponsible, but Lucia didn't act ruthlessly, did you even half pay attention to her whole story?" This made Kevin pause, mouth hanging open as if he were about to speak.

"Exactly. The decision wasn't made without her thinking it over. She even said she thought about both options, and I believe the one she made to be the right one."

Lucia's confidence came flooding back at the praise from him, he was one of the fairest and intelligent of their group and getting a compliment from him was very difficult.

"So, where would this boy be? You said his name was Darko, correct?" Tom began, ignoring Kevin's obvious glares.

Lucia smiled lightly, green eyes vibrant. "Yes, that's what he claims to be called, and I left the out a couple hundred feet, just to be safe."

Tom turned back to smile at Kevin, grabbing a coat from a hook on the wall, "See? She thought the whole thing thoroughly." And with a clap on her small back, he exited the door, gesturing for them both to follow.

The three reached the small group within minutes, Lucia leading the way with a bow and arrow still in hand. She wasn't surprised to find Jasey basically mooning over Darko, naïve eyes wide as she admired him in a kiddish way.

Lucia would have sent her a warning glare, but the other two boys caught her attention much faster.

Jackson and Clyde looked to be seconds away from tearing each other's throats. Clyde was sneering at the taller boy, eyes narrowed in a menacing way, while Jackson seemed to be holding back from throwing a curled up fist in his face.

"Say it one more time." Jackson warned, ready to hurt him any second, his usually kind eyes were dark and intimidating.

Clyde didn't seem at all scared, more amused than anything, thin lips pulled into a smirk. "What are you afraid of, huh? You seem quick to be defensive." He sneered, taking a step forward as if to prove he wasn't scared of Jackson.

"I swear if you-" But, Lucia was quick to cut him off.

"Boys," She hissed, embarrassed by their immature behavior, though her glare was mostly fixed on Jackson, ashamed and surprised that he hadn't known better than to let Clyde get to him, especially because he was always trying to get under people's skin. Jackson should have known that by now.

Clyde didn't seem ashamed at all, just smiling triumphantly as Jackson hung his head down a bit, eyes scanning the forest floor and anything else to avoid Lucia's harsh gaze.

Ignoring the two, she gestured to Darko who was now glancing in their direction with intelligent interest. "This is him." She nodded for the two to go forward, quickly meeting Jasey's eyes and directing her away.

Kevin didn't seem sure of what to make of Darko. His once harsh looks were now softened in curiosity, but the hostility didn't leave his eyes as he circled the boy.

Tom stayed further back, inspecting everything from the distance he stood. "The scars," He pointedly looked to Darko's neck. "Where are they from?"

Lucia couldn't have been sure, but she thought she saw a flicker of fright or maybe shame in his eyes before he quickly answered, voice even as ever. "Complications when the parasite's captured me." There was a slightly tightness to the answer, but it went unnoticed.

"Right, those filthy creatures would do anything." Kevin grumbled in a hateful tone as he finished his examination and went to stand beside his partner.

"Lucia has told us your story." Tom began, again about ten times calmer than the man next to him. "And I must say, I'm quite shocked and conflicted." He added, eyes now narrowing in concentration. "You see, all of us haven't come across a normal human in over five months, our only company is the wild life and they don't come with much news of anything." Humor lined his words. "But, I'm very sure that these beings don't just die. They have to be in a body that dies to end their own life, correct?"

Darko looked a bit surprised at being treated so nicely and equally that it took him a moment to answer. "Yes, that is what was believed. But, even as the thing lived inside of me, I was still able to think and speak to it, I was never actually gone."

Everything froze in that moment he said those words.

Lucia could have sworn her heart stopped.

Her mind turned into a blank frenzy, everything pulling and twisting as she tried to grasp what that meant.

He was still there, even when the parasite had invaded his body.

That meant he was still alive.

Which meant others were still alive.

Her family, they had still been in there.

She caught Jackson's warning glance, but ignored it as she reeled on Darko. "What do you mean you were still alive?" Her voice sounded distant and unreal, like this whole thing wasn't happening.

Everyone turned on her in surprise, besides Jackson, he was the only know he knew the truth about their doings.

"Answer. The. Question." She practically growled out, eyes wide and crazy. She had to know. If she had murdered her own family with them still being alive…she didn't even want to think about it.

Darko looked confused and concerned, but slowly began to answer. "I was still there. I couldn't move my limbs or make any sort of decisions besides when the beings guard was down. But, there was no doubt I was there. It frustrated him."

Lucia's vision was going in and out, tunneling at points, but she pushed herself to stay conscious because she needed to know the answer to her next question. "Are there others? Others who stay alive?" The desperation in her voice sounded pathetic to even her.

The dark-haired boy seemed conflicted on whether to answer or not, obviously taking notice to the pain and sadness in her eyes. "I-well," He stalled.

She broke.

"Tell me!" She screamed, hands curling into fists and ready to do anything to get the answer out of him.

Seeing no other option, he looked down. "As far as I know, yes. The parasite that was in me had been transferred to me and apparently they were all having problems settling here. They think our emotions and motives are too strong to be taken over-" He paused, seeing that she wasn't listening.

Lucia had tuned off after the first answer.

Yes.

They had been alive and under there.

The fear in her sister's eyes weren't just the parasites, but her own. She had been there, buried underneath everything. The little girl Lucia had taken care of since she was little had been murdered in cold blood. Lucia had killed her own sister.

"Lucia," Jackson's voice filtered in through her tyrant of thoughts, but it went mostly ignored as her vision began to cloud even more and nothing was coherent.

How could she live with herself knowing she had killed four innocent humans that were simply brain-washed at the moment?

It was easy.

She couldn't live with herself.

The guilt weighed down till it was crushing her and she couldn't breathe.

That's when everything went black.

**(A/N : Well, here's chapter five. Hope you all enjoyed it, it was definitely an interesting one to write. **

**Directly to RainbowTeeth8 – Thank you so much for the compliments, it seriously means a lot. And of course, I'll check out your story.**

**Directly to aqualizzard – Thank you so much for checking out the story, I really do appreciate it. And Lucia's hair is supposed to be a sort of red-brown, I was sort of picturing her fox-like with the green eyes and what not. And again, thank you for reading the story.)**


	6. Chapter 6

_"Lucia, Lucia!" A small voice filled the otherwise silent room, waking the girl from her deep slumber. _

_ Despite being woken in the still early hours of the morning, Lucia couldn't help, but smile because when she opened her eyes she was greeted by a toothy grin of an eight year old child, silver hair a mess upon the little girl's head._

_ "Claire," She chuckled lightly, rolling over onto her side and moving her duvet out of the way, pulling the girl's arms and bringing her down into a hug. "What are you doing up so early?" She joked lightly, already knowing the answer._

_ Claire rolled her bright ocean-like eyes, "Luc, you know why." She complained, lightly tugging a strand of Lucia's red-brown hair and then absently twisting the curl around her finger._

_ She pretended to think for a bit, frustrating the child till she laughed and said, "That's right, it's someone's birthday!" And Claire grinned at that, more than obviously thrilled._

_ "You never told me what you wanted though." Lucia told her as an afterthought, sitting them both up and pushing the blinds apart to check the weather outside, it was sunny and bright, a perfect Illinois summer day._

_ Claire smiled that secretive smile of hers, and despite how young she was, the girl had a sense of mystery and intelligence about her. "Well," She began, playing with Lucia's hands. "I wanted you to show me how to shoot." _

_ Lucia was confused and a bit surprised at first, not to mention worried. Even though she had learned to shoot bow and arrow at a very young age, it scared her to even think of putting such weapons in such innocent hands._

_ Though, the surprise didn't stay long. She knew the reason for wanting to learn how to shoot; it was to simply be able to defend herself. She always saw Claire looking at her with those clear eyes when she would strap on her hunting gear and now understood why the girl had always been so interested._

_ Lucia decided upon it, quickly nodding her head. "Sure thing, it's your birthday after all." Her sister's face lit up in joy, happily clapping her hands together. "Go get your shoes; we'll head out right away." _

_ "Thanks, Luc, I love you." Her joyous voice rang through the room and without another moment of hesitation, she took off like a rocket while Lucia stayed behind for second, wondering if she'd regret this decision or not._

_;;;_

_ "No, Claire, like this." Lucia patiently straightened out her little sister's elbow, careful to avoid the arrow that was so precariously put into Claire's hand._

_ "Alright, now look straight ahead and imagine a bull's eye on that tree right there." She waited silently till the blonde-haired girl nodded, putting all her concentration on the oak tree ahead. "Shoot whenever you're ready, but keep picturing the arrow flying straight at the target." Again, she nodded and waited a moment, making sure her aim was precise._

_ The two siblings had been at shooting for over an hour, Lucia always patient and Claire getting more and more frustrated as each arrow as flew past its target and into the forest ahead._

_ Lucia had taken them to a remote area on the border of Illinois and Iowa, more than careful to stay out of any sort of populated place, knowing the dangers if they were to get caught._

_ Back then, Lucia hardly knew what they were up against. She only knew that there had been some sort of invasion on their planet and human bodies were being taken over, the rest was a mystery to her._

_ The memory of her father being taken was still fresh and hurt to think about, but she continued to be strong for her sister, risking her life by raiding and hunting during the night time to be able to feed them. _

_ Without warning, Claire's arrow flew in the air, slightly aimed for the tree, but much too off to ever hit its actual target._

_ The young girl groaned and threw her bow onto the ground, flustered and frustrated at her poor attempts._

_ But, Lucia was patient and calm as always, stepping forward to pick up the bow gently, placing it away from the child. "Claire," She slowly spoke, placing a comforting hand on her bony shoulder. Her sister turned to face her, tears burning in her eyes, making Lucia's heart clench in sadness. There was nothing more that she hated than seeing her sister in pain._

_ "I'll never get it right!" She screamed in anger. "It's not fair, Luc, you're so good at it, why can't I be? No matter how many times I try, it won't go right." She was crying harder now. "You're so brave and nice. I just want to be like you." She whispered the last part in anguish, pushing tears in Lucia's own eyes._

_ There was a moment of silence before the older girl wrapped Claire tightly in her arms, brushing her pale hair from her face. "Claire, you don't have to be like me. Do you know how smart you are? I wish I was half as smart as you at your age. And how you're always so happy." She smiled, putting sincerity into her words and trying to bring the mood up._

_ Claire sniffled, "I'm not happy right now." She admitted, shamefully looking down._

_ "No, you're not." Lucia lifted her sister's face up to look at her. "But, you could be." She suggested and got a confused look from her. "How about we give the bow a break and we can go pick some of those wild berries we saw down the trail a bit, hmm? We can even bring some back to the shed and make some jam. Does that sound good?" She asked and after a moment finally pulled a smile from Claire._

_ "That sounds great." She smiled crookedly, moving in to hug her older sister again. "I love you, Luc."_

_ "Love you too, kiddo." And then broke the embrace, standing up at full height. "I'll go fetch those arrows and you pack up, okay?" Claire nodded, already starting to remove the bracer from her wrist._

_ Watching the girl for a moment, Lucia turned to head off into the dense forest area, trying to recall where each arrow had gone._

_ She enjoyed the forests life as she searched for all the arrows, finding some stuck in brushes, other high up in trees that took her a while to climb and retrieve. But, it was relaxing anyways. She would stop occasionally to smell the wildflowers or observe a small grouping of birds in a willow tree._

_ She could have sworn she heard shuffling behind her at intervals, but every time she would turn around there would be nothing and no evidence of anything behind her._

_ Having found all the loose arrows, Lucia headed back towards the grassy clearing, chills going down her spine at the thought of being followed and unarmed. _

_ It wasn't until she was a few hundred feet from the clearing that she heard a loud and obnoxious sound up ahead. It was a churning sort of noise, annoying and stirring the air. It was a noise you'd only find at airports, or shuttle station._

_ Seekers._

_ That was a word she had familiarized herself with, knowing that those were the beings that took her father away and made a monster out of his body._

_ "Claire," She screamed, dropping every single arrow besides one, holding it out in front of her like a knife. She may not have her bow, but the arrow was the most important part of the weapon, the sharpened metal would be enough to hurt someone._

_ The worry and panic only got worse as she got no answer back and she continued to charge faster, the opening to clearing looking like it was years away. Lucia's breaths came in abrupt pulls and gasps, heart pumping wildly as she thought of those…those _things _getting their hands on her poor, innocent sister._

_ A piercing scream dove into her eardrums and it sounded a bit like her name, no doubt it was Claire's scream. _

_ "No, no, no," She gasped and was about to break into the clearing…before she was being tackled to the ground._

_ It felt like she had gotten hit by a brick wall, slamming her all the way to ground and knowing any breath she had out of her._

_ The lack of oxygen and the impact her head took from hitting the forest floor left her dizzy and disoriented. She could feel her vision slipping as her view narrowed down to a pinpoint and the last thing she saw was the light from the clearing, her sister's scream replaying over and over again._

**(A/N : So, just thought I'd put a full flash-back chapter up. I'll hopefully have another up today or early tomorrow since I'm leaving wifi for two days afterwards.**

**Anyways, enjoy! **

**And tell me what you think of it and if I should make more flash-back chapters or not.)**


End file.
